2016 is almost over, and we here at The Meta are celebrating by paying tribute to the teams, players and vague concepts that made it worthwhile. Our MVP awards will be ongoing throughout the holiday season, so check in now and then to see who and what we decided to shower with praise.
2016 was the year that Adam “Armada” Lindgren cemented his status as the best player not just in the current Super Smash Bros. Melee scene, but in all of Melee history. Let’s tally up the yearly statistics: 10 first place finishes in major Melee events, out of 15 entered (excluding one he forfeited because he was sick). That’s a staggering 66% winrate. As has occurred every year since 2010, Armada lost zero sets to players outside the so-called “Big Six” (Armada himself, Mew2King, Mango, Hungrybox, PPMD, and Leffen). Other players, notably Hungrybox, had an excellent 2016, but none came close to Armada’s nigh-immortality. Watch SFAT vs Hungrybox at The Big House 6 and you’ll see a level of devastation that Armada has arguably never been on the receiving end of—and certainly not in 2016.
Since returning to the scene in 2014, Armada has been on a hot streak that shows no sign of cooling. Like solar wind or the rhythmic pulse of a quasar, Armada is predictable, dependable, relentless—but also beautiful, dazzling, a one-of-a-kind cosmic phenomenon. There’s no question that he deserves the title of 2016 Melee MVP.